Professor and former WQAD-TV reporter Alan Sivell is biking RAGBRAI and blogging for LMQC about it this year. Follow his adventure right here … and tell him what you think, too!

Alan Sivell, The Rolling Reporter, blogs about biking and life’s adventures on letsmoveqc.com

Mention that you are doing RAGBRAI and people react as if you are climbing Mt. Everest. That you are about to achieve some amazing athletic feat.

I am puzzled by the reaction. It’s a bike ride. I get to sit down. I get to see the beauty of Iowa’s back roads and rolling hills – a view that isn’t visible when traveling at 74 mph along I-80.

Besides, 10,000 other people do it every year.

Here’s my tip to those who wonder how I do it at 64 years old: Keep moving. And don’t stop.

I was a 3rd string football player (benchwarmer is the better word choice) in high school and was the 25th man on a 25-man baseball team in college.

While I was a terrible player, I found I was pretty good at fitness. And by that I don’t mean a chiseled, Fabio-type fitness. I mean someone with his blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate in the proper range. All it took to achieve it was to move everyday.

Running and racquetball used to be my fitness sports of choice. But running in Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers (hey, it was the 60s when I started) wasn’t great on my knees. Neither was the twisting of racquetball. Hence the 2 knee replacements by the amazing ORA knee surgeon, Dr. Joe Martin. (He’s riding RAGBRAI, too!)

Today, I avoid impact sports. I walk, bike, golf (no cart!) and do strength and flexibility training at the Y.

This summer, biking is my focus … and RAGBRAI my goal. See you on the trails.

What’s your fitness story? Comment below or email me. I want to hear!